The invention generally relates to the process of automatic target detection (ATR) within a multispectral or hyperspectral image. Multispectral and hyperspectral images record electromagnetic radiation of various wavelengths hitting each pixel of the image, and are commonly used for detection of objects of interest. Multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing is particularly well suited to detection of areas of interest on the Earth from satellite or aircraft images, such as search and rescue operations, surveillance, detection of mineral deposits, or areas of ecological harm.
Multispectral and hyperspectral sensors generally collect information as a set of images, where each image is a two-dimensional array of pixels. Each pixel represents received electromagnetic energy in a range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Given the amount of information conveyed in each pixel, it is possible to identify objects even if the objects are captured in only a few pixels.
Various algorithms exist to classify multispectral and hyperspectral pixels as part of a target for ATR, however, conventional ATR for multispectral and hyperspectral images works in the reflectance domain where atmospheric compensation is applied to every pixel in the raw hyperspectral image. This is extremely time consuming and is not suitable for real-time operations.
Thus, there exists a need for an ATR system that improves upon the time-consuming aspects of conventional ATR to enable real-time target detection.